Disclaimer- I do not own the Harry Potter series

James was making a mad dash to the common room, not caring who he was shoving over as they got in his way. He didn't even see the walls filled with the colorful streams of pictures that bellowed at him to slow down. He didn't care what they had to say, he didn't care about anything. HIs life had just ended, and what were you supposed to do when that happened?

Sirius and Remus ran after James as he sprinted toward Gryffindor tower. They had no idea what was wrong with James but from his expression and actions they knew that it had to be something huge. James was usually good in high stress situations and could take anything unexpected, but seeing him like this, this just wasn't James. It made them worried just thinking what Dumbledore could have told him. What could make him act like this?

They made it to the portrait of the fat lady and they could just see the back of James's robes as he fled down the tunnel leading into the tower.

"Password," she asked.

"Cornish Pixies!" Sirius and Remus screamed at her. They streaked past her as she scolded them at being so rude, but they had no time for apologies right now they needed to find out what was wrong with James.

They ran through the passage and ran right into Lily Evans and she had a very disapproving and stubborn look on her face.

"What are you guys up to now? I just saw Potter run in here and I demand to know what you guys are up to," she said with her arms crossed over her chest, not letting them past.

"Not now, Evans, this isn't the time," Sirius said shoving her out of the way and running up the stairs to the boys dormitories.

"Black!" she shouted after him, but he didn't stop once, taking the stairs two at a time.

"Sorry, Lily," Remus said helping her up before running up the stairs behind Sirius... He left her looking bemused and angry, staring after the boys who thought they could just walk all over her. She would get to the bottom of this; she had had enough of Potter and his friends.

When Sirius and Remus entered the sixth year boy's dormitory it was complete chaos. There were books, quills, clothes, and pieces of parchment scattered about and being thrown through the air and at the center of it was James Potter digging through all of the trunks at the ends of the four poster beds.

"James what are you doing?" Sirius asked moving closer to him and trying to get him to stop destroying everything in his trunk. James didn't even flinch or stop what he was doing but did, gladly, make a response.

"Looking for the map," he said shortly, and after realizing that there was nothing left in Sirius's trunk moved on to the next one, which happened to be Remus's.

"James, stop, I know where it is," Remus said laying a hand on his shoulder. He jumped up unexpectedly and what Remus saw in his face was not what he wanted to see. He had a distressed look on his face that was mixed with some sort of sadness. His eyes were reddened and there were big purple bags under his eyes, even though the traumatic event only happened a few moments ago, it seemed James's had been carrying this burden for weeks by the way his face showed stress marks and worry wrinkles.

"Give it to me, Moony, I need it now," he demanded sticking his hand out.

"Not until you tell us what happened," Remus said being stubborn, but that didn't stop James. He only shrugged his shoulders as if to say 'If you won't give it to me I'll find it myself' and went back to searching the trunks.

Hating to see his friend in so much desperate distress he pulled the map out and tapped him on the back with it. He spun around and ripped it out of his hands and muttered under his breath 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,' impatiently and then started moving down the stairs towards the common room. Once he located who he was looking for he started running and Remus and Sirius sprinted to catch up with him. He would tell them what was wrong, eventually, wouldn't he?

James shoved the packet of parchment into his robe pocket and hurried his way down the spiral stairs. He was going down so fast that he hadn't realized someone was coming up, and that someone happened to be Lily Evans.

"Potter! What are you three up to, and don't you dare tell me nothing," she demanded after righting herself.

"Not now, Evans," James said trying to shove past her like Sirius did before, but this time they were in a much narrower space so it was much more difficult to get past her. By this time Remus and Sirius had caught up with James and seeing them here she continued.

"Well, now that you're all here you can tell me what you're up to," she said again.

"Lily, not now," Remus tried to tell her, but it was too late.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY, EVANS!" James bursted out, finally looking at her.

She saw something there that she had never seen whenever he looked at her. Anger shown in his bright hazel eyes and it was like a burning explosion waiting to happen. He had sadness weighing down on his face and she was so surprised to see it there. HIs hair was even more messed up and crazy then usually from him running his hands through it during his frantic search. James was always carefree and had no worries at all. This face though, James now worried face, contradicted everything that she thought him to be.

After holding his gaze for so long she broke it and looked at his friends behind him. They all had worried expressions focused on James and seemed to be as clueless as she was. She knew something was wrong and she felt bad for her actions and wanted to make it up with a different approach.

"James, what's wrong?" she asked in a small soft voice.

He only shoved past her and muttered "None of your business, Evans," before taking off down the rest of the stairs, running over a few first years, and making his way out of the tower.

"What was that about?" she demanded of his friends following after them.

"No idea," they said together following James. Thinking that she had nothing better to do and her curiosity getting the better of her, she followed after them.

James rushed down the hall for the second time that night. The wind his strong legs were making lifted his hair and cooled his neck. His anger was getting the best of him and he could feel his ears getting red but now that he had a mission, something to occupy him, he could put off the pain for a few more minutes.

He came to a stop at an intersection of two hallways. There, across from him, stood his prey. Severus Snape.

"SNAPE!" he yelled causing him to jump a bit but then, realizing who it was, regained his composure and met him with a sneer.

"What do you want, Potter?" he said walking closer to him and smirking at the redness he saw in James's eyes. "Something bothering you?" he laughed.

"I got a message for you to convey!" James yelled at him, all his bottled up anger coming out on him. He needed to do this and he would fulfill it.

"To who?" Snape asked with another award winning sneer.

"You know very well to who! Your Master, the one you have willingly given your life over too!"

Snape seemed surprised at this response. He hadn't realized that Potter and his friends knew that he was a death eater.

"What's the message?" he said showing no emotion.

"That no matter how long it takes, or what I have to do, even if it kills me, I will get my revenge. You tell him that he better be careful and watch out for James Andrew Potter! I won't rest until my parents are avenged! You tell your master that I"M GONNA KILL HIM! YOU HEAR ME? I"M GONNA KILL HIM, EVEN IF IT TAKES ME DYING BREATH! VOLDEMORT IS GOING TO DIE! And I intend it to be at my hand..." he ended in a whisper meant only for Snape. Remus, Sirius, and Lily had shown up at this point and had heard his whole "message" and were shocked at what they heard.

"So the Dark Lord has finally acted upon the filthy blood traitors, you call family?" Snape laughed. At that moment James had had enough.

"You better get out of here, Snivelus, or else I'm going to have to find another messenger, because your ass is going to be cursed into oblivion!" James yelled, tears filling his eyes.

Snape only laughed more, but still took the threat seriously. The Dark Lord would be pleased at the reaction he got out of the Potter boy, and he wanted to be the one to convey this information. He left chuckling to himself, having one last glance at the earful Potter, before turning his back on him to send the message.

"James!" Remus, Sirius, and Lily said running over to him. James barely heard them; he was too consumed in his own thought. His parents were dead! Could they not see the pain he was in? Why must they budge in and try to stop this from happening? Didn't he have a right to mourn?

He flinched away from their touches and broke down even more into sobs, sobs that wracked his whole body until he ached.

"James..." Sirius said at a loss for words. He loved the Potter's like his own parents and it hadn't yet dawned on him yet, what had happened to him. He only saw his best friend the most vulnerable he had ever seen him. A crowd was beginning to gather, watching the scene, and he did what any good friend would do.

"Get out and back to your dormitories, there's nothing to see here. Don't make me hex you!" he yelled at the gathering students and by the intense and serious expression on Sirius's masked face they took him seriously.

Sirius and Remus tried once again and unsuccessfully to comfort James but he only moaned for them to go away and leave him alone. Lily just stood looking at him so surprised at what she saw, James Potter crying? Who would have thought? She always imagined him as an invincible super hero that could never harmed and was just this everlasting presence that would never go away. She was afraid, now, that maybe the carefree James was gone and he would never be the same.

Out of some unconscious thought she approached the sobbing boy and wrapped her arms around him. He didn't flinch or pull away, just let himself be held.

"It's okay, James, I have you. You will be okay. Everything will be okay..." She murmured, comforting him for however long he needed to be comforted. She was there for him and though she didn't like to admit it, she was glad that she could be the one to comfort him.

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